Fritz: All Fritz/All Fritz.zip/All Fritz/FILES/BUSITION/MAILORDR.LZH/MAILCH9.DOC

Text File | 1992-01-11 | 15KB | 318 lines

                                       CHAPTER 9






                               SECRET SUCCESS STRATEGIES






                  If you take a look around, you'll quickly agree that
             people who run their own business fall into three catego-
             ries.  There are those who are struggling to keep going, and
             have done so for a long time.  There are those who are
             moderately successful and seem content to drift along riding
             the waves of the national economy, sluggish sometimes,
             cresting at others.

                  Then there are those who have all the obvious signs of
             success.  The luxury car, the vacation home at the beach,
             the designer swimming pool, the boat, the well tailored
             clothes, and surrounding them at all times, the healthy look
             of wealth.

                  Now ask yourself why there are three categories.  Is it
             that those who are struggling actually like it that way?  Is
             it that they don't know how to move up the success ladder?

                  The middle category is apparently easier to understand.
             Sometimes they are elderly people whose needs are easily
             satisfied.  It could be they have had their success in life
             and are winding down.  Perhaps, beneath the surface, unob-
             trusively, they are paving the way to increase their busi-
             ness.

                  I suspect that none of those explanations are really
             true.  People who are in their own business always want that
             business to be better and bigger, no matter how long they
             have been in business. Usually, the truth of the matter is
             that they don't know how to go that extra yard, how to climb
             those last few rungs.

                  Your climb must be steady and relentless, so it's the
             third category which is of greatest interest to us.  The
             remainder of this chapter will look at the truly successful
             people in this field and determine how you can stand up
             there beside them, and as quickly as possible.







                  We will look for shortcuts, for secret techniques, for
             previously unpublished knowledge.

                  The first step is to decide who these people are, who
             are the true entrepreneurs of the Mail Order business.  You
             have already gained much of this information when you re-
             searched advertisements going back over a number of years.
             The successful people are those who have conducted the same
             business over many years and appear to be as efficient and
             organized today as they were when they started.

                  You can't always point a finger at a large newspaper
             advertisement and say, "That ad must have cost several
             thousand dollars, they must be successful."  Sometimes those
             ads are a one-shot deal, a desperate last minute throw.

                  Other Mail Order people run their business through
             catalogs instead of/as well as  newspaper advertising,
             people such as Drew Alan Kaplan of DAK Industries Inc., Lisa
             Anderson of Colorful Images, and Joseph Sugarman of JS&A
             Group Inc.

                  Why are these people so successful?  What are they
             doing that you can emulate?  My answer is this.  Write and
             ask them.  Take a look at the advertising you receive
             through the mail, make notes of the magazine advertising you
             consider effective and then write to the presidents and
             owners of these companies.

                  Tell them that you are trying to get a foothold in the
             Mail Order business, tell them what your product is so they
             will know there is no conflict of interest, and ask them how
             they got started.  At the worst they can only tell you to
             mind your own business, but I doubt that any of them will.

                  People at the top of their professions, especially in
             the Mail Order business,  are invariably very willing to
             share their knowledge.   People like Joseph Cossman and
             Melvin Powers hold seminars and write books telling other
             people how to follow in their footsteps.

                  Write to these successful entrepreneurs. Make it easy
             for them to answer by enclosing a questionnaire which re-
             quires short, simple answers.  Write a cover letter explain-
             ing why you are requesting this information and be sure to
             enclose a stamped, addressed return envelope.

                  The questionnaire could ask such questions as:

                  How long have you been in business?

                  What work did you do before you became so successful in
             the field of Mail Order?

                  Why did you determine on your present range of






             products?

                  Have you written a book I could buy or hold seminars on
             the business of Mail Order?

                  To which two major factors do you attribute your suc-
             cess?

                  The answers you receive are not going to make you a
             millionaire overnight, but they will direct your thinking,
             and they will give a tremendous boost to your desire to
             succeed.

                  Jay Conrad Levinson in his book Guerrilla Marketing
             says that the greatest secret to a successful advertising
             campaign is the concept of Commitment, Investment and Con-
             sistency.

                  His thoughts on Commitment, and they are endorsed by
             all advertising specialists, are that once you have decided
             on a course of advertising, which would include the budget,
             the media and the theme behind the copy, you should give it
             a chance to work.

                  This idea of commitment is essential.  Whether you call
             it commitment, determination, doggedness or just pure obsti-
             nacy,  your resolution to stick with your opinion based on
             careful thought and calculation, is the secret behind all
             success.  Whether your business is Mail Order, Computer
             Programming, Dress Designing or Building Dog-Houses, the
             stick-to-it attitude is a must.

                  Having a good product is, after all, only fifty percent
             of success.  Selling it is the other fifty percent.

                  Most experienced Mail Order entrepreneurs make their
             decisions on the most effective approach to potential cus-
             tomers based on their knowledge of their customer interests
             and the product.

                  Sometimes they will use the shotgun technique, blasting
             at a very diverse section of the population figuring on a
             ten percent response as an acceptable number.

                  At other times,  the use of the High Powered Rifle
             Technique is required.  Here, after careful consideration,
             the potential customer profile is selected and then that
             narrow segment of the public is mailed advertising material
             prepared specifically for that group.

                  A frequently overlooked way to increase sales is the
             follow-up.  This technique can be in the form of telephone
             calls, or further, more persuasive literature, mailed to
             those potential customers who have not replied to a previous
             mailing.







                  A more indirect, but equally effective means of build-
             ing business, is the follow-up on sales already made.  These
             calls, made by telephone or by mailing, make sure that the
             customer is satisfied with their purchase.

                  This solicitude will help to persuade the customer that
             you are truly interested in pleasing them.   Once you have
             established that rapport, future sales to that person are
             much easier.

                  One final technique to help you build your business
             quickly is the letter of recommendation.  If you receive
             letters from customers telling you of their pleasure or
             satisfaction with one of your products, write back thanking
             them for the trouble they have taken in writing to you and
             ask for permission to quote part of that letter in future
             brochures or sales presentations.

                  Sending them a small promotional item at that time
             would help clinch their loyalty to you.

                  Similarly, if you know of a customer's satisfaction
             through personal contact or through one of the follow-up
             calls, ask for a letter of recommendation.


                  To summarize, these are some of the most important
             considerations you should give your Mail Order business:-

                  Determination: - You are going to build a successful,
             highly profitable Mail Order business.  There must be no
             doubts, no qualifiers.  You will be successful - successful
             and wealthy.

                  Find time to read:

                  David J. Schwartz - "The Magic Of Thinking Big"

                  Napoleon Hill - "Think And Grow Rich"

                  Ben Sweetland - "I Can"

                  David S. Viscott - "How To Make Winning Your Lifestyle"

                  Claude M. Bristol - "The Magic Of Believing"


                  Thought: - Determine the type of product you will be
             selling.  Is it exclusive?  Is it consumable?   Are you
             certain of continued supplies?   Is the price extremely
             competitive?  Do you like the product?

                  The Product: - If you have a hobby or pastime that you
             can turn towards Mail Order, so much the better.  If you are






             devoid of ideas on where to discover new products, you will
             find a listing in the appendix of places to search for new
             items.

                  Advertising: - Decide on an advertising budget.  No
             matter how small, know how much you have to spend.  If, at
             the beginning of your enterprise, your advertising budget is
             extremely modest, find ways to produce your advertising
             inexpensively. Think about - hand bills distributed door to
             door, - college newspapers, - supermarket notice boards, -
             letters or brochures mailed to addresses obtained from the
             telephone directory.

                  In some cities, the Water Company will include a small
             flyer with the monthly bills they mail out.  The fee they
             charge per thousand is usually far less than you would pay
             any other distribution service.

                  Sales: - Reply to orders for your product as quickly as
             possible.  The average person who sends an order to a Mail
             Order house starts looking forward to receiving the merchan-
             dise about two days later.  They know it will take longer,
             but they hope it will be quicker.

                  People like to spend money on things other than life's
             basic essentials. Help them to make the money they spend
             with you as pleasurable as possible.  Enjoy their purchase
             with them.  Be enthusiastic about the products you sell.

                  One of the reasons, if not the main reason, Amway is so
             successful in their door to door selling, is because the
             sales people are so enthusiastic about their product.

                  As I said earlier - Like Your Product.  If you don't,
             how can you expect anyone else to?

                  If a customer is dissatisfied with one of your products
             and returns it to you, immediately refund the amount paid
             together with any mailing costs incurred by the customer,
             no questions asked. (Assuming that it hasn't been deliber-
             ately tampered with). There is no greater way to restore
             confidence and build future sales than by fast response to
             complaints.  The expenses you incur handling your business
             this way will be repaid many times over.

                  In the normal way, I would include a chapter dealing
             with the assembling of Mailing Lists and methods of keeping
             a check on product stocking, mailings and business bookkeep-
             ing. I am, however, very conscious that this booklet is
             directed at computer users with a profusion of database
             management tools readily available from software manufactur-
             ers.  There are, as I'm sure you know, many business manage-
             ment systems available though Shareware.  A chapter dealing
             with that aspect of Mail Order would be superfluous.







                  There follows an Appendix of names and addresses you
             may find useful.

                  I wish you well in your Mail Order venture.

                  If I can help with further information, please write or
             contact me through DELPHI (Billham).